Skimming
by amiability
Summary: A series of sidestories for Dreaming of Sunshine. Will include various perspectives and ridiculous situations. All rights to Silver Queen.
1. Hatake Kakashi

_If you haven't read Silver Queen's Dreaming of Sunshine, this most likely won't make much sense. I highly recommend you go read it...it's excellent._

 _Authors's Note: Silver Queen has graciously allowed me to write a side story series of her work, Dreaming of Sunshine. I do hope it doesn't disappoint even though this is less than perfect. Have some neurotic sensei first~_

* * *

Hatake Kakashi worries. Recently, more than ever.

Oh, he can hide it with irritating sarcasm and lame excuses, but he is as paranoid as any ninja can be packed into one very irritating façade. He supposes he should have just called it quits when the Third Hokage offered an extended time of leave instead of being a jounin sensei.

(He knows that would have never worked out. Not with the permanent thrum for action twitching his mind a mile a second.)

There had been a time, before he was retired from ANBU and living the life of exact measures, where the most he had to worry about was the components of a successful mission and whether he was going to make it back alive to greet Obito and Rin again.

Now he has to worry about three itty bitty genin that hurtled themselves in supposedly adventurous danger with or without their own volition. He really does try and pin them for the blame of his heightened senses, but the excuse falls flat. Like always.

He doesn't know what started the sudden protective instinct that came from more than just duty. Perhaps it had been Shikako who feared for the Nine Tailed Fox inside Naruto and remembered chakra signatures from when she was a baby. Or maybe it was Sasuke who was branded with the curse mark and blindly drove himself into training when _something_ happened. It could have even started way back, when Minato passed away and left behind a tiny baby with the hopes of the future.

Or maybe Kakashi's mind just called bullshit and decided to shove three more lives he had to be responsible for into his life while saying 'You-better-take-care-of-these-brats-because-Obito-would-so-want-this-for-you-so-shut-up-and-do-it-or-I'll-kick-your-ass-so-there'.

Well. That probably sums it up the best. His mind does sound an awful lot like Obito though.

It doesn't make him feel any more prepared for the _feelings_ that come with caring.

Fondness is something he is not familiar with, but he tries his very best to respond back to the cuddles he suddenly receives from, in his opinion, too touchy team.

(It doesn't mean he doesn't like it, though.)

Fear is a nauseating rush that he hasn't felt in a long, long time, and it doesn't feel any better when he nearly drops everything to rush to the hospital in a blur of speed when he hears that Shikako is _dead on the hospital bed._

(It has been a while since he had decided to fuck protocols so heavily to make sure that _yes, Tsunade-sama knew what she was doing, your student should be fine within days._ Then he decides to sneak in again after the surgery just to make sure that his student was _okay._ )

Shikako, of course, just has to be snarky and comment on how he is _late_ of all things instead of worrying about how she almost died. At that moment, he wonders where her priorities were. Not that he can talk.

It is likely at that point when Kakashi snaps.

He grows better at hiding his thoughts while he watches over his eager to learn students, making sure to look a tad more diligent while ensuring that the porn comes out a bit more often. Even bright and suspicious Shikako doesn't suspect that he pushes them into better skills because he's _so freaking tense about what will happen next._

When he signs up as a guard in the next Chunin Exams, Kakashi prefers to think that he is contributing to the rather fearsome image of Konoha instead of being too unhealthily neurotic about his students. Tsunade seems to doubt that with one raised brow and a lot of heavy sighing.

(Who could blame him? Orochimaru had a way of ruining everything Kakashi thought about Chunin Exams and Team Seven.)

His students perform well, their level of power sitting comfortably within the Chunin range, and he feels pride well up into the tiny cracks of his heart a bit too quickly. The feeling is somewhat suffocating and awkward, but the warmth was unusually comforting. Familiar, in a way.

Even as he watches in almost baffled amusement at the amount of _destruction_ Shikako builds up in the arena, Hatake Kakashi still worries.

Because of three itty bitty genin.


	2. Gossip

_Author's Note: So many shippers I can't even. Wrote this very nonsensical piece to show off the main two pairings. Take this and interpret as you wish, with a little use of Shipping Goggles as necessary. Timeline is somewhere after Naruto comes back...after timeskip maybe?  
_

 _No offense intended towards anyone._

* * *

Ino slammed a hand onto the barbeque table a bit too forcefully, making the plates rattle. Chouji covered a protective hand over the barbecue grill. Shikamaru looked up a bit curiously, wondering what nonsense his friend had gotten into her head again. Asuma still portrayed serenity as much as ever, probably thinking of the smoking ban in the restaurant and possibly a bit of Kurenai. Possibly.

"Shikako and Gaara are so going to hook up," Ino uttered firmly. The words rang around the table once, giving an air of ' _this is my opinion so be it and don't you dare argue_ '.

Chouji gave an apprehensive look towards Shikamaru, who was simmering in some sort of shocked state. There seemed to be no sort of anger brewing yet, so Chouji carefully tore his eyes away from him.

"Ino…what are you talking about?" Chouji mustered out a bit curiously.

"Dating," Ino continued. "What else could I mean?"

"Why Shikako and Gaara, though, all of the sudden?"

"Did you see them at the Chunin Exams at Grass? They were all like, sand carpet together and gentlemanly courtesy with a touch of extra correspondence ever since."

Shikamaru, feeling as his duty as an older brother, decided it was high time he interfered. "Oh look, it's Kurenai-sensei and all them."

Ino, sufficiently distracted, waved them over easily with a grin and lots of affectionate greetings. Shikamaru mentally patted himself on the back for veering the conversation into safer territory, subsequently avoiding the topic of his sister's growing attractiveness. Asuma looked ridiculously happy with Kurenai; everyone was eating; new topics were being made by the minute. All in all, it was an excellent plan made by a Nara.

Peace didn't last long, though, because once the conversation settled into a quiet hum, Ino just _had_ to barge in again.

"So," she dragged out casually while picking at her nails. "Anyone hear about anything interesting recently?"

Kiba jumped on board almost immediately, making Shikamaru groan in exasperation. "I heard that there was another girl who confessed to Sasuke yesterday at Ichiraku."

"He's as interested in all those confessions as much as a rock could. Next," Ino shot back.

Kiba scratched his head. "Well, there is that really interesting rumor about Shikamaru and that Temari girl…."

At this, everyone in the table shifted their eyes subtly over at the subject in question. Said subject immediately cursed his life for being so freaking _troublesome_ and wished for judgment upon all gossip makers in the continent.

"Do tell, Shikamaru," Ino slid out slyly, her grin spreading. "We all want to hear."

Shikamaru decided to make grunts like some particularly irked cow, in hopes of deflecting Ino off to some other interest.

"This information is already well-known," Shino interrupted. "Why is that? It is because the subjects are already in the steps of courting, which includes denial. It is best to ignore them."

Shikamaru sent a little blessing towards Shino for being a savior, even if Shino had completely ignored the point of Temari and him just being _friends._

"With all the posturing and all, Shino," Ino swept in a bit pompously. "I suppose you haven't heard what news I carry."

"What news do you speak of?"

"Oh, just the one where Shikako and Gaara are totally going to hook up somewhere in the future. Possibly within years."

Chouji patted Shikamaru on the back sympathetically.

"That makes no sense," Kiba said in confusion. "I mean sure he carried her on his sand and held her up…oh wait, it does make sense."

"You see what I mean?"

For some reason, _Hinata_ of all people decided to enter the conversation as well. "A-ah, but wouldn't Shikako-san be better off with Sasuke-san? They do spend the most time together."

Ino scrunched up her nose. "Ew. That's like Shikamaru and I dating."

Kiba laughed a bit raucously, probably successfully imagining what Shikamaru would look like on a date. "Do you see Sasuke though? He follows her around like a little duckling. It's cute."

"I guess you haven't seen the _looks_ that exchange between Gaara and Shikako every time he comes here on Kage business," Ino shot back.

"Looks, huh?" Kiba said smugly. "Then how about the incident that happened at Naruto's reunion party?"

"Sasuke-san just walked Shikako-san home," Hinata said after racking her head for the only Sasuke and Shikako moment that seemed mildly more than platonic. "They're teammates."

Shino felt the need to explain to Hinata before Kiba decided to use too many euphemisms for primal activities to translate.

"What Kiba was saying," Shino bit out while giving Kiba a warning look. "is that when two people of close relations walk each other home at the prime of their…development, certain activities of the romantic interest happen in the midst of the nightly atmosphere."

Hinata flushed a patchy shade of red.

"…You made that sound incredibly dirty, Shino," Kiba said in awe. "I never knew the day would come."

"Silence. I meant other less…dirty…actions."

"Still bet forty on Shikako and Gaara hooking up," Ino pounded the table with a fist of finality.

Kiba banged the table with an equal amount of fervor. "Then I bet the same on Sasuke as a dating process before it doesn't work out, then she dates Gaara."

Hinata slid a hand in the air. "I…bet thirty that Shikako-san will choose Sasuke and stay constant."

Shino also reluctantly put in his bet. "I bet the same that signs of affection will show within the next year."

The betters turned their heads expectantly towards the Chouji and Shikamaru, the latter currently napping away to forget all the mess that was dubbed Ino's Gossip Circle.

Chouji decided to add in his opinion for the sake of Shikamaru. "…I bet forty that Shikamaru will drive away all the suitors this year with the off chance that Shikako will find out."

The game was on.

Kurenai and Asuma chuckled in amusement at the conversation playing out in front of them before their fingers curled over each other under the table.

* * *

Somewhere, in the safe habitat of a local tea house, far from any dangerous bets on dates, Team Seven were discussing strategies of their daily spar when Shikako suddenly sneezed and interrupted a particularly heated discussion whether Rasengan or Chidori worked better on a moving target.

"You're not coming down with anything, are you?" Sasuke stressed out before handing Shikako a paper napkin.

"That would suck," Naruto frowned. He pushed her tea towards her slightly.

Shikako wiped her nose with the napkin neatly, then drank her tea. "I don't think I'm coming down with anything. Thanks for the concern though."

"Yeah! I mean, we're bestest buddies and all!" Naruto grinned.

"Bestest isn't a word, moron," Sasuke said.

"We are the bestest thing, though! Better than best!"

"Don't get too puffed up there, Naruto," Shikako smiled. "Or I might beat you again."

"Oh come on, Shikako!" Naruto whined a bit plaintively.

Peace rules complacently over Team Seven, and it leaves a touch of camaraderie between every member. Calm isn't something that usually falls over this team, but the rare break in between missions pieces in rather fetchingly.

As Shikako stared into the shades of green flickering on and off in her cup, she settled nicely on the fact that she rather liked this quiet.

She hoped it lasted.


	3. Braid

_Author's Note: I wavered between writing this vs. a depiction of Shikako breaking into pieces, but this won out easily. Fluffy Team Seven interaction warning._

 _Also, a poll is on my profile if you want to vote on which type of writing you prefer._

* * *

To be on Team Seven equates into a taste for ramen, whether voluntary or reluctant, as lunch after spars typically includes it. It's rather practical and fits in their budget, so there aren't too many protests from the usually grumpy Sasuke.

(In reality, the point of arguing with Naruto on the disadvantages of ramen is almost impossible, because he will staunchly run down any negative point about _precious ramen-chan_ with a very firm stance of _it tastes good so there._

Uchiha Sasuke is about 100% done with it and never tries to debate the point again.)

It is on one of those after-spar lunches at Ichiraku when Naruto notices.

At the Academy, Shikako's hair was cut and grown out a bit short in the way most little girls wore it, but after she graduated, the length changed and grew to the point that her hair could be tied back.

Now, as Shikako is turned to tease and jest with Sasuke, Naruto sees the long tail of hair that falls down to her waist and sways subtly. The style is set in a pattern laced together, and continues until it ends and ties up with a piece at the end.

It looks pretty confusing but kind of cool, if Naruto stares at it for a while.

"Hey, Shikako," Naruto calls out thoughtfully. She turns away from Sasuke and looks at him attentively.

He gestures in the general direction of her hair. "What's that hair style you've got there?"

Of course, Sasuke, being the provocative jerk he is, snorts derisively. "It's a braid, moron. You don't even know what that is?"

"Well it's not my fault that I don't know girl stuff like _you_ do, bastard," Naruto snips back in a huff.

Sasuke flushes a delicate shade of pink before flashing his eyes murderously at the implication, and his left hand twitches for the kunai pouch on his hip.

Shikako, who is the forever and ever peacemaker on the team, settles both down with a very solid grip on their shoulders. Thankfully, they still, out of healthy respect that they are in a public, civilian place.

(It's also not mentioned that they have a very strong respect towards Shikako's opinion in general and prefer not to disappoint her when possible.)

She pulls out the tie in her hair and begins to unravel the strands quickly as a wave of curls follow after. "You can try if you want. It's not that difficult to learn. Just watch first, and then you can follow after."

Her fingers separate and interlace three thick parts of her hair over and over in a continuous pattern with ease. Naruto's eyes follow in rapture before his own hands replace hers and try to continue.

His attempts fail miserably.

At the very end, when he clumsily ties the elastic at the base of the tail, Shikako runs her hand over the many, many knots from where he messed up and forgot to untie it. A wince comes to her face unconsciously at the thought of the tangles she has to pick out.

Sasuke peers over at the work of ten long minutes and flatly looks at Naruto. "You knotted it. It's going to be hell for her to untangle later."

"Like you can do any better," Naruto pouts out while poking at the mess he created. "I bet you can't even make _one_ braid by the time the ramen comes out."

It takes an immense amount of effort for Shikako to resist the chance to tell Naruto he couldn't plait properly in ten minutes to even bother challenging Sasuke, but her hair tugs too uncomfortably at the skull for her to speak.

There is still about five minutes before the food comes out, as Teuchi-san prefers to take his time when there aren't many customers, but Sasuke still smirks and begins to tug out the lumps expertly with slender fingers.

"Please, I can make something ten times better than you in half the time you would take," he says as he starts on the side of her head in a suspiciously complicated looped fashion that Shikako has only seen on court ladies.

Naruto fumes.

While Naruto had awkward hands that hopelessly muddled up more than plaited, Sasuke's fingers are agile in her hair, smoothing out and combing while weaving in a rhythm that tugged comfortingly. Her eyes close, and her lips part imperceptibly.

At one point, he grabs a pair of disposable chopsticks and snaps them in half to press one horizontally on the back of her head and the other to slant up to the side elegantly. By that time, Shikako is already facing Naruto and watching the gaping expression on his face in great amusement.

Well, Sasuke works pretty amazingly in her hair. She can't really blame him.

The ramen comes out precisely as Sasuke tucks in the last braid securely and turns Shikako around to face the counter again. She touches the back of her head gingerly and finds the concoction of braids and loops is surprisingly secure and smooth, feeling something akin to silk. It would have felt rather nice, if not for the sudden realization that _Sasuke_ of all people did this.

Naruto takes about five seconds to be stunned and play at some kind of fish before taking one very judging look at Sasuke, who sits a bit straighter than usual in smug satisfaction.

"Sasuke," he says grimly. "I know you're a lonely guy and all, but I didn't know you spent your spare time doing this."

A drop of silence falls between the three as they eat, before a shocking moment of clarity hits Sasuke like a sledgehammer and makes his face turn flamingly scarlet.

He takes one moment to gawk at the work he done in Shikako's hair, little hanging chopstick and all, makes some sort of embarrassed grunt, and promptly stalks off from the stand as he places his own share of money on top of the counter.

Naruto pounces on the leftovers, and Shikako finishes the rest of her meal in bemused silence.

In her opinion, her hair probably looks stately, in a way that could pass off as a classy style on her off-days, but the fleeing Sasuke mystifies her. It wasn't that bad….right?

Shikako comes home that night with a mass of compliments for her rather 'chic' hair.

* * *

Yoshino has seen many odd things in her life as a ninja and a mother for her to bat an eye at most occurrences, but the sudden appearance of the elaborate hairstyle on the back of her daughter's head makes her give a double-take.

Her shock isn't really mitigated when she finds out the style looks distinctly Uchiha with the fanned out hair knot at the base of Shikako's slender neck.

She does help her daughter pick out the intricate loops on the side of her head and around the back [held together only by a pair of disposable chopsticks of all things], but makes a note to tell Uchiha Sasuke to come over when Shikako gets married.

Uchiha Sasuke is most likely a professional if he did _that_ in five minutes like Shikako claimed.


	4. Uchiha Itachi

_Author's Note: Clarification on previous chapter's events…Mikoto wanted her boys to be able to take care of their girls in the future. If Fugaku disapproved, she would pin him down with a very passive aggressive smile before he solemnly backed off in defeat. As a result, Itachi has very long fabulous hair, and Sasuke obsessively practices to not forget what his mother left him._

 _So sorry for not updating as frequently as I usually do, I got ill for the past couple of days, and the writing vibe kind of got squished underneath pain and discomfort._

 _Of course I write about the character that only appeared once in DoS. Do enjoy and leave suggestions on how it worked out for you._

* * *

Itachi prefers not to linger on past events.

There is no room for it in his life, what with the pain that stabs his nerves with bitter vengeance and the run that he is forced to follow without reprieve.

(Sasuke will deliver soon. Hopefully.)

So it is disturbing when he cannot shrug off the feeling of a slender neck in his hands, pressing into his bone thin hand painfully. That hold had been meant for Sasuke, reminding him that his once precious big brother was still as much of a monster as ever. Still much stronger than him. Still taunting Sasuke to catch up.

If Itachi indulges in the fact that he is what Sasuke thinks, the thundering pressure seems significantly more bearable, like he deserves it. Justice against the sinners, someone once told him.

Sharingan never forgets anything it saw, the Mangekyou more so, and Itachi can remember drinking in his brother's bleary eyes, sharp and wide like their beautiful mother, before casting the technique.

He is a monster. He must never let Sasuke forget that. Engrave it into his mind if he must.

Then, in the split second when the Tsukiyomi is cast, something changes. Tar colored eyes shifts into an earthy brown, round with fear instead of disorientated _hate_ , and the body he is pushing is _so, so_ much lighter.

Some very repressed feeling of fear drops the girl like hot coals when he hears the _screams_ tearing into his ears gratingly. It is anguished, tortured, begged for relief and quick death.

There is a sense of unease within him as he watches Sasuke, little foolish brother Sasuke, flit over towards the girl. He looks lost, as he floats hesitant hands over the writhing mess.

(Itachi thinks the unease is from the screams, but every part of him push it down vehemently. This girl is not unusual. She is nothing like his first kill. Stop that.)

Later, after he and Kisame are in safe distance away from screaming girls and foolish brothers, Itachi absently remembers the slim neck that came with the earthy brown eyes and curls his hands slowly.

Many things can be told by the pulse, the warmth of a shinobi. Many things can also be vaguely interpreted. Warmth underneath the skin means constant passion, vivacious with the sound of life. A heavy thumping pulse usually trails closely after such warmth, sounding solidity.

Itachi is icy cold with his blood running so quickly that he can feel his own heart pumping frantically, almost singing a song of an early end and miserable beginnings.

The girl had not shivered underneath his grasp or blinked furiously at the blood crimson of his eyes, and he can applaud that courage, that sacrifice for her teammate. Loyalty is still admirable on his deteriorating list of morals, so he feels secure in Sasuke having a good teammate.

That girl had a steady thrumming pulse, jumping with the desperation of _now_ , with the cold frigidity of winter on the sides where Itachi had pushed his own hand. It was a resolute sense of desperation, steady only from the staunch idea of _protect_.

Again, he admires that. It is another one of the things that still remain on his set of morals.

Perhaps, if that girl had been older and near his age, he would have liked to talk to her. Maybe over tea and dango. Maybe in Konoha with Shisui next to him. Maybe when he had wanted someone after the death of his only true friend. Maybe then, he could have planned something clearly. Maybe then, he could have bore the weight of killing his clan more easily.

Maybe then, he could have done something different.

Logic pulls him out of his spiraling reverie and chastises him on his own foolishness. There are no more maybes in the present; there is only the doom that scurries after him for the last years of his life.

(Sasuke will deliver. Itachi only had to wait.)

Yet, there is still the nostalgia that washes over Itachi when he wonders about the _what-could-have-been_ , and he closes his eyes and _thinks_ of the peace that could have been.

It is something close to bliss, and for the first time since after, Itachi feels something akin to tranquility.


	5. Growing Up

_Author's Note: Puberty is a mess that no one wants to deal with again. Really, imagine the shock when your childhood friend transforms into this utterly different person. Also, so many feelings._

 _Anyway. Don't take this too seriously, it's a quick short based on the horrors of puberty that ended up as a mild shipping fic._

* * *

As with everything troubling and mildly disturbing, it starts with Shikako.

It's not really her fault this time. There are no mad rushes of desperation to take blows for someone else, and the considerable presences of explosives and worrisome planning are absent.

Perhaps the silence before the storm occurred makes the sudden onslaught of _change_ much harder to swallow and easier to choke. Sasuke mourns his own failings in looking at his surroundings, once comfortable and peaceful, and wills himself to not gawk at lean limbs and long hair that curls around the nape.

It's very difficult. The heat from burning alive could be easily juxtaposed next to the task of compressing all his wayward feelings into a mask of nonchalance.

(In all frankness, he does slip once or twice when he sees a peek of toned stomach underneath her slightly short shirt. But it was a very nice feeling, if not for the red that bloomed across his pale skin which he cursed into high hell and heaven.)

Kakashi is stupidly too observant for his own good and pats Sasuke on the head sympathetically before plopping a porn novel discount coupon on his lap. In a fit of rage, Sasuke chucks a stray shuriken at his teacher as Kakashi skitters away with chortles.

It misses, but Shikako tosses it back to Sasuke with a flick of her fingers. Luckily, his senses make up for his dazed attention towards her wrists, and he catches it with a barely concealed fumble. Even Shikako notices the uncharacteristic flaw and raises a brow.

Where Shikako can notice tiny tears in character, her twin brother, Shikamaru is about ten times better and more paranoid about it.

"You're into 'Kako, right?" he drawls out one evening when they just _happen_ to meet each other on the street.

Sasuke is torn between denying it and accepting it, but from the subtle fold in Shikamaru's lips, either one was going to end up in one very mutilated Sasuke. Hell, even he didn't know his feelings about his team mate. Some sort of very twisted attraction that ended up with blotchy skin apparently. Shit.

Shikamaru ambles up to Sasuke's right and nudges him to move along down the road. "I've seen you look at her. It's not very well hidden, and Ino harps on and on about it every day. Pretty troublesome, you know."

A single trickle of cold sweat trickles down Sasuke's back and reminds him of the Forest of Death. Reminds of him of cold eyes and resolve over a snoozing girl. And the dread that comes with it feels foreboding.

Three years hasn't done much to change that feeling.

They walk down the night streets of the market, the smell of stall food drifting around them. Sasuke looks at a dumpling stand and remembers the crumb that he wiped off of Shikako's lip. He remembers her too quiet thanks and the way her face tilts down, something that had never registered as _appealing_ until now.

He should be thinking of more important things right now, like how he should get stronger or how he should deal with Naruto's never ending ramen obsession. Things like that, of greater importance that involves what he should do.

When Shikamaru sends him off on his own way with a glance that meant _I'm-watching-you_ and Sasuke's mind runs off to how Shikako's smile seemed particularly gloomy today, he knows.

Yea, he's got it bad.


	6. Bingo Book

_Author's Note: I tore this out of the newest DoS chapter…Congrats on 100+ chapters, Miss Silver!_

 _Obligatory Akatsuki short made from pure speculation and lots of potential faults._

* * *

"Anything interesting at all?" Deidara grouches while lazily flipping through the bingo book from Sand. "They all look boring. I can probably beat them all in ten seconds flat."

"This one has Itachi's little brother on it," Sasori says back with his Cloud bingo book. "Not really much. Uses Chidori and Sharingan."

Itachi twitches and placidly blinks once.

"Deidara, there's one that you might like," Kisame drawls out and tosses a book. "Page eighty-one. Nara Shikako, team mate of Itachi's little brother. Chunin. Uses explosives and interrogation."

Sasori catches it first with a long tail and turns to the page. "Hm. This is the girl that started the argument between Grass and Konoha. My informants told me she blew up the assailant that kidnapped her because she could counter the Blood Prison."

"Nice," Deidara whistles out. "Probably not as artistic as me, though, yea."

"Nobody gives a shit about your art, Deidara-chan," Hidan says as he walks in the room, Kakuzu next to him. "Seriously. It's a fucking explosion that blows up pansy-ass people from a distance. Big deal."

"Leader said not to fight him," Kisame warns as Deidara prepares a neatly formed beetle in his hand. "Collateral damage takes a lot of the funds."

Kakuzu takes immediate note of potential loss of _money_ and kicks Hidan in the shin viciously. "Shut your mouth, Hidan."

"God DAMN it, Kakuzu. What the hell?!" Hidan howled.

"You're going to waste more money on more useless things, do you _think_ anyone wants to hear your pathetic whining?"

"By Lord Jashin, you're going to hell one day."

Kisame rolls his eyes as the squabbling starts, and Itachi reaches for the bingo book Sasori has.

"She's the one that used the replacement," he murmurs quietly in between the yelling and the curses.

"For your brother, right?" Kisame adds. "A weird girl, that one is. It's best to keep an eye on those kinds of people."

Itachi nods minutely as he traces the words on the page contemplatively.

* * *

Deidara only realizes much later, when the Akatsuki meeting is adjourned from Rain and each member walks their separate ways, that he has a potential _kouhai._

"Master Sasori," Deidara says in a daze. "There's that girl out there, who uses explosives. Who uses _art._ "

The rain is particularly heavy today, and Sasori rattles in irritation. "And? Leader hit her as a possibility."

"You don't _understand_. She's, like, my future student or something."

"Deidara."

"Yea?"

"You don't even know her."

The bell on Deidara's wide hat rings silently as he tilts his head to let the rain hit his face. "It's a gut feeling. A good one. I _want_ her."

"Idiot."

A smile cracks on Deidara's face, wide with a dizzying frantic glimmer in his eye. "Yea. I know."

The rain continues to fall as they both walk.


End file.
